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The realizations of how marketing automation tools have changed the perception of the marketing role is very interesting and often becomes hidden by glossy marketing campaigns.

As part of a research project that took many months of work I have narrowed down on several core problems that seem to be eating away at the digital economy in the guise of ‘marketing automation’

This is an on-going analysis of dozens of marketing automation tools that include interviewing end users, studying how they work, and the type of client footprint each tool has.(If you would like to participate, please leave a comment below or contact me.)

It is based around the fundamental reasons
why someone selected a specific marketing automation tool.

The tools are often selected based on a simple need: drive awareness about a product or service into a conversion funnel that delivers qualified leads, increase profit margins, and on-going growth for the business. Read more →

If you are a real estate professional in the Washington / Oregon area, I encourage you to take a day trip to Portland and join me at BuzzRE on June 3rd. This event is a huge steal for anyone in this niche, as a few of the professionals I will be presenting with have some amazing insight to different sections of the “real estate puzzle” and this is the chance to hear it all in one spot.

I will be presenting on the niche of real estate brand and reputation, discussing tactics and strategies for defending professional “real estate” that relates to your business, along with proven methods of driving more business using reputation assets.

BuzzRE includes a variety of other talented speakers that include:

Jeff Turner: Jeff is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned business executive of 20 plus years. In addition to his role as President at Zeek Interactive, Jeff is the founder and creative force behind Real Estate Shows and widely regarded as one of the foremost experts on social media marketing strategy and execution, and a sought after conference speaker on topics related to emerging technologies.

Dustin Luther: Through 4realz.net Strategies, Dustin helps real estate companies develop internet marketing strategies to better reach their audiences. Ever since he launched one of the first real estate blogs, Rain City Guide, nearly five years ago, he’s been a prominent voice in educating real estate professionals on how to improve their online marketing having been a featured speaker at countless national and local events.

Joel Burslem: Joel was the founder of the Future of Real Estate Marketing blog which was acquired by Inman News in 2007. Named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Real Estate bloggers in 2007 and 2008, Joel regularly speaks about technology and real estate marketing to audiences across the nation and he is frequently called upon to comment on these subjects by mainstream media like New York Times, BusinessWeek, International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal.

Social media networking is transforming how professionals connect online. A decade ago, businesses needed to form entirely new relationships with one another. It started with an outreach campaign- such as a simple magazine advertisement or shaking a hand at a cocktail party. Over time and multiple interactions, a relationship was created. In the social media world, relationships jump through hurdles at an amazing pace… sometimes within hours or even minutes.

One of the main driving forces behind this phenomena is social networking being multiplied by a technology revolution. When you visit this site or many of the other sites I write on, you have the opportunity to do something that is amazingly interesting: you can interact with my readers. Just like at a cocktail party, you can listen to the main speaker (me) or choose to take the discussion down other avenues with an audience member. An example of this technology in action is on the sidebar at 123socialmedia.com, the mybloglog.com and blogcatalog.com widgets which show community members who have visited my site.

With that in mind, I am going to state the true power of what I write really isn’t within the words of this article. It is actually in the fact that what I write is spread across hundreds of different sites and social networks.

What does that mean?

If you only come here and don’t know how to investigate the internet like I do, you probably don’t know I am on Linkedin, Biznik, or Namyz. You may not even know what those websites represent.

In my “universal brand” it means a lot.

An example is if I collect a handle of the testimonials and references I have on those sites:

Janet Burchfield – Real Estate Broker: “Barry Hurd is flat-out brilliant at navigating the complex world of social media promotions. My brain literally hurt a little, in a good way, after his recent Marketing Strategy Workshop for Real Estate.”

Banu Sekendur – Art Therapist: “Barry is a wealth of information and so generous with it. He is not only brilliant but very easy to relate to and so incredibly modest. He is not just a numbers guys he has a social intelligence that sneaks up on you when you think you have figured him out.”

Toby Barnett – Barnett Associates Real Estate: “Barry is a innovative and forward thinking web guru that will warp your brain if you give him a chance. His cutting edge marketing strategies allow for fast and yet manageable growth for any size company.”Jeff Collins – MyHaberdasher.com: “Barry really knows his way around the web & can get you great results if you want you or your company to stand out on the internet.”

Brian Crouch – Business Development 123SocialMedia.com: “It’s easy to be enthusiastic working for someone who is widely regarded as one of the sharpest minds in the industry. Barry’s reputation as a social media innovator and expert is growing, and I am honored to be associated with him.”

Peter McDowell – Performa Business Development; “Top notch guy who gives freely of his time to help others, like me, understand the ever changing technology landscape. Plus, he’s super smart and visionary when it comes to internet marketing.”

Kevin Hoffberg – Thought leader : “I met Barry several years ago when he did some project work for me. He’s an extraordinarily bright guy. I would recommend him in a heartbeat, particularly when it comes to technologies related to community building.”

What does this mean?

Stop for a moment and think about the nine testimonials above and how much information is available at the click of a button. Sourcing information for what previously took “forever” is now done instantly. Most of the people above are also present on several social networks. You can read more about each person, you can read about what they do for a profession, you can see who you know in common, and if they have a blog you can even see what kind of motorcycle they ride (Kevin Hoffberg’s blog).

In the real world I would have to request this data and take serious effort to track down a small fraction of the same information.

It isn’t just for your eyes only.

One of the amazing and interesting facts of this type of information is that it is not for your eyes only. My professional presence is “out there” for the world to see. I cannot doctor or manipulate it for every person. The article you read here is the same piece of information ten thousand other people will find.

If you have ever hired an employee or a business partner, you have probably discovered that feeling when you question whether or not the person you are hiring is the same one on the piece of paper you are reading. In the social media evolution, the same piece of paper is being sent out to everyone.

Right now, there is a lot of information being collected about you. Have you ever searched for your name or company online and looked at the results? Have you ever asked yourself the question about how many of your associates and friends have searched for your results? Have you come to the conclusion it may be a good idea to start understanding how your professional (and personal) information is being used online?

If you haven’t come to that conclusion, don’t worry. While you are thinking about it people like the MIT Northwest Forum are having entire panels about your information and how businesses are making money off it.